California earthquakes

M6.3 The 1946 Walker Pass, California Earthquake

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on Fri, Mar 15, 1946, 5:49 AM GMT-8 (13:49 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.3 (mh), strong
Local time: Fri, Mar 15, 1946, 5:49 AM GMT-8
UTC: 1946-03-15 13:49:37 UTC
Depth: 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 35.702° N, 117.944° W
Region: California
Strongest shaking: VIII, severe shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VIII, severe shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 35.1% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 2.5 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 158°
Stations used: 8

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 131 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 131.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3360174 (also filed as ushis1520, iscgem898284). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC.